Mother of Pearl
by The-Music-of-hands
Summary: Elli thought that to be beautiful, one had to have beautiful things. Kai taught her that most beautiful things were hidden deep inside and not worn around the neck…


_A/N_

_A gift for all those who inspire me._

_TMoh_

* * *

Mother of Pearl

Ever since Elli Loch had been a child, she had been obsessed with the ideals that if one wore beautiful jewelry then she was beautiful. From outdated rubies to shimmering silver necklaces that came from the most expensive zealous stores, she believed in the fact that the only ones that deserved to be beautiful were the ones that had beautiful things. Thus far, as a twenty-seven year old Elli stood half naked in front of a body length mirror hung crookedly on her blue shaded wall, she sighed and once again, smote herself to the categories of ugliness. It wasn't that she wasn't cute or intelligent, or even a good cook, but, she just wasn't beautiful in the way that she had desired. Her husband of two years had constantly told her in and out of bed that she was a beautiful specimen. Then again, he was a doctor, for all she knew, he was looking at the spinach salad sitting by her side. Who knew?

He never stayed around long enough for her to really know what he really thought about her. Two years of perfectly good marriage and he gave it all away for the new girl. It wasn't that Claire was a bad person, in fact, Elli thought of her as quite cunning and courageous women for working alone in a town she didn't even know. It was a lot of responsibility. The more responsibility, the more respect, the more respect, the more interest. Even stubborn steadfast Ann liked Claire, and, that right there was a hard girl to please.

But it was the fact that unlike Elli, Claire had shimmering blonde hair and aquatic blue eyes that offset the blonde hair so well. She was so beautiful that the first day she had walked aimlessly into the small waiting room, Elli herself had to restrain from asking the girl if she had been a model in her past. It was the fact that once she walked through the door, the Doctor—her husband—immediately became friends with her. Immediately fell out of love with Elli.

Elli persuaded to herself that Claire was indeed a very beautiful girl, and, if that was what made Trent happy, then, it was what made him happy. She had no right to get into what she had lost in the first place. It wasn't Claire's fault her parents had probably been supermodels, and it wasn't her fault that Trent had fallen in love with her instead of his mousy wife.

Who would want a mouse as a wife anyway?

She said it was just telling herself that it was the truth, because she really actually didn't know anyone that would.

Ann, her best friend had her charm and an unwillingly stubborn personality, and that was what caught her shy stuttering husband Cliff. Then there was Mary and her intelligence, which totally caught Gray off guard. Popuri and the mysterious Richard—who was actually a writer seeking solace in a small town…The fact was that everyone had at least somebody. Well, her friends anyway. Her friends were also beautiful by Elli's standards. There was Mary and her black hair, Popuri and her cheerful smile, and Ann with her bright and vibrant attitude. All of them had something that their husbands desired.

Elli had decided to herself that she just hadn't met someone that would want to desire a plain girl like her. With light brown hair cut short—because it got in the way of her work—and gray eyes, with a semi clear complexion, Elli was just a normal looking girl.

As she inspected herself in the mirror, she saw the slight bump on her stomach, not a baby, but just water weight that she couldn't seem to get rid of. Her perky nose seemed so…meddlesome, it fit her description of being seen, never heard, and always nosing into other people's business. She didn't know why, or how, but her description fit her to the T. Plain clothes, plain face, and plain life. This in her opinion, equaled boring.

As she pulled her skirt up, fluffed her hair for good measure, and tugged anxiously at her long sleeves trimmed with scalloped lace, she felt like a teenager facing the world for a second time. This was her routine every morning; she'd stare at herself, assess the ulterior damage, and silently put her clothes on, coming downstairs right on time for her shift. It was all right, being a desk receptionist, and if the moment called for it, a midwife. It was life, she got paid.

Paying the bills was all that really mannered.

Ever since her divorce one year ago, she had been living in a spare room upstairs, the other room used a temporary technical room slash art room. Her room was a plain pale blue, her dresser just a brown birch dresser, covered in picture frames and little trinkets she had picked up along the way. Right next to her bed was her diary, a white glass lamp, and a vase with a few select flowers. Karen had told her that it would brighten the rooms mood because blue was just so dreary. She had scoffed and then listened to Karen's advice, ignoring the fact that her favorite color _was _blue after all. Blue was a dreary color.

A dreary color for a dreary girl, she supposed.

Two hours later, it was the same thing except for a few differences from two years ago. Two hours, two years, a lot changed in time. She assumed that she wouldn't really change in time. She would just remain the same, Elli, Elli, Elli, girl in blue, boring girl…

She tapped her fingers against the desk, eyeing the curtain in what she would call a disgusted speculation. The doctor was once again doing his 'duty'. She looked at the clock. Ten minutes more and he would be on break for a taste of wine, and maybe, Claire again. She sighed, but didn't have enough heart to dial Ann's phone number and complain. It just wasn't worth it. What was done was done, and when it was over, there really wasn't anything that could change it. Besides that, outside in their tiny town, it was a fine summer day without a drop of rain in sight with the small exceptions of a gray cloud on the horizon. Everyone was at the beach, or outside having a picnic, enjoying the beautiful day.

Elli groaned exasperatedly into the flat of her palm, muffling her distinct voice. She just _had to _bring up that word again didn't she?

She chided herself angrily, pursing her lips in a sporadic moment of frustration clawing at the back of her brain. "Elli, you have to learn, you just have to learn. You can't get over something if you keep coming back to it. Just don't think about anything…anything at all…"

Instead of concentrating on the little cutesy giggles coming from behind the curtain, she occupied herself with looking out at the window. She stared at the dark shrouded cloud in the distance, the sunlight making it look withered and unwanted. It really was a pretty cloud, she finally decided to herself. It was wispy, and even though the color of it made it so obvious that it was a rain cloud, something about it was mysterious. Something she wanted to look up, something she wanted to learn about. She made a small mental note to look up pictures of rain clouds online… It could prove to be a substantial—and an educational—waste of time. It was a dreary feeling though, knowing that a few hours later, that cloud would be over the clinic, and it would be pouring out violet torrents of wind and rain, because, that was what a summer rainstorm did. It gave the newlyweds a day alone and off in their cozy abode, and gave workaholics like her a reason to die.

Overall, rainy weather or even hot weather was tortuous to her. Because whatever it was, Trent would still be working at the clinic, and, personally in Elli's opinion, she hated awkward silences almost as much as she hated being normal. It was just hormones.

She was being emotional, then again, after having a husband for two years and then having him file a divorce for the pretty girl down the street…

Well…

Who wouldn't be emotional after that? That is what she told herself every morning she woke up to find Claire walking to work with Trent, both holding double shot Carmel Mocha espresso's. (Because she knew he loved those the most…) So there she was staring listlessly out the window when a man in a purple bandana shuffled in crooked stumbles towards the clinic, obvious to the wall in front of him. She made a bet with herself that if he crashed into the wall then she would go to bed early, and if he wasn't stupid enough to crash into the wall, then she would treat herself with some chocolate cake. A large thump was enough to tell her that she would have to postpone that chocolate cake, and Trent, and her bored tapping on the desk. To be sure he wasn't just playing around; she sat at the desk for thirty more seconds, staring at her nails with a bored expression. A groan interrupted the silence, and it sure as hell didn't come from Trent. She looked at the pale curtain with a disgusted sneer.

At least she didn't think it did…

Another overly cheerful giggle…set moment for a scuffle…another giggle, muffled groan… Okay, then…maybe it did…

She thought she might've gagged if she wasn't so concerned for the man outside of the clinic, clearly passed out in the sweltering heat. As she clumped across the tiled floor, she couldn't help but think to herself about how boring and how tiresome, and just how repetitive her job was. All she did anymore was either take care of stupid teenagers who purposely got themselves hurt in acts of extreme stupidity, or useless adults who really didn't think to put their health in front of their TV's. She cautiously tugged the door open, staring at the damned dreary cloud that had been coming closer and closer. With her hand wrapped around the cool knob, she leaned over; her gaze shifting to the gravel, and in contrast to the lackluster cloud, the man lying unconscious on the ground was a tanned Italian god. For the first time in two years, she let herself drool a little.

Of course, since she was on the job and not at the bar for Friday wine, she kept all bodily contents in her mouth where they rightfully belonged. But still, even when knocked out with a huge bump on his head, this boy was something like good looking. She noticed a ring strung on a chain around his neck, and sighed loudly and dramatically, letting go of the doorknob. Well, the dream was almost real until she saw that he was taken.

Oh well.

Beautiful people were meant for beautiful people. It was how the world rolled. And, if the Doctor and his play-toy didn't roll out of behind that curtain in the next two minutes, then she would roll this tanned Italian god right over them. And, considering the bad mood that she was in, she might roll a few choice words over them while she was at it. She had a job to do, and it wasn't watching Trent and Claire act like a bunch of love hungry rabbits. There were farms for that. She smirked devilishly at the thought, while taking both of the man's arms in her hands and managing to drag him into the building at least halfway, before taking a small five second breather. He wasn't overweight, but he had some serious muscles going on.

For a split second, she wondered why she had never noticed this man before… She wondered to herself how she even managed to notice Trent above him. The answer simply wasn't there. Managing to drag him over to a small bench off to the side, she heaved his legs up on the cushions, leaving him lopsided for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed both of his arms and pulled with all her might, letting out a small squeaky grunt as she managed to lift him. Her palms were sweating, and her cheeks were starting to turn a beet red from the effort of trying to lift him onto the couch. A sudden high pitched giggle screeched from behind the curtains, and then Elli turned around so fast that she forgot that she had even been holding his arms. A large thump and a muffled groan—this time actually coming from the man—came from the floor where she had dropped him. She turned back towards the man, her face bright red, the tips of her ears growing hot.

"Oh no…damn it Elli, damn it. Why do you always have to get so distracted? You better be careful or the next time you'll kill the poor man…"

His legs were still set on the couch, his chest twisted on the floor in what seemed to be a most uncomfortable position. She drew up her courage, blanked out the scuffling sounds from the back room and this time, bent her knees as far as she could and grasped his shoulders, heaving him up onto the couch with a shove. The bench knocked against the wall nosily and the back room went quiet for a moment before a shaky hesitant voice wavered in her direction.

"E-Elli? Are you alright?"

She wiped her forehead, and forced a cheerful smile, before half yelling back, eyeing the unconscious man the whole time. "Yes thank you, I'm quite alright. You'd better get back to work…"

And without a moment's hesitation, the giggling soon continued, leaving her hopelessly stuck in the waiting room with one very handsome unconscious person and a problem. She took a light coverlet that she had taken down earlier morning when she had gotten a bit of a chill and put it over him, ignoring the plain blueness of the blanket. She pondered whether she should try waking him up or just leaving him there to sleep it off. She decided that it was better for her and for him if she left him alone to sleep it off, mostly because she didn't really feel like intruding on Trent and his patient at the moment. So with one last glance, she went to get herself some coffee from her handy two cup coffee pot upstairs. Ten minutes later, she came downstairs, and all was as it should be. There was a note left on her desk from what she perceived to be from Trent, and the blue blanket laying on the couch where she had left it, dumped unceremoniously into a blue heap in the corner.

She did a double take.

She tried closing her eyes and then re-opening them, she tried pinching her cheek.

The blanket was still there. The hot Italian man? Not.

"Am I crazy? Elli, you're crazy…you're going to go back upstairs, get some more coffee, god knows you need it, come back downstairs and the patient will be on the couch. C'mon Elli…"

She saw the bright green note on the desk, picking it up with shaking hands, she half hoped that it was from Trent, explaining as to why exactly her patient was missing.

_**Dear Elli,**_

_**I've decided to take the rest of today off as there is no critical business to be taken care of. I suppose that you'll do fine since you live here and all. If you need to reach me for any reason, just dial me and Claire's phone number. It's in the phone book to your left if you hadn't known that already, I saw the man lying on the couch and took out a cold compress for you to put on his forehead. The painkiller and the bandages are in the **__**bottom **__**drawer, **__**not **__**the top drawer. **_

_**If you have the time, be a dear and pick up some 8x10 printer paper from the market. I seem to have run out. I also took the liberty of taking the bottle of wine from the pantry. I shall repay you on Thursday.**_

_**I think that is all. If you like, you may lock up early if there are no customers, and enjoy your evening. **_

_**Have a good remainder of the day, and Elli? For your sake, get some rest. **_

_**I shall see you on Thursday. **_

_**Trent. **_

She mumbled angrily to herself while crumpling the paper into a tiny ball before tossing it into a straw waste basket. "Yeah, he's the doctor and he gets to take a day off. He still treats me like I'm his wife for heaven's sake… 'Elli get the printer paper, Elli don't forgot, Elli, remember, I'm still an asshole for picking the pretty little blonde over you…'"

For some reason, as the realization hit her that nobody was in the room with her, and that nobody really wanted to talk to her just then, she felt a familiar ache in her chest. In was the same ache that she felt when she realized that Trent would never come back to her, or the ache of when her grandmother had died when she was out with friends. The guilty ugly ache she had been feeling for the past two years. No matter what she tried, it always came back when things seemed to actually get better. And it took months to go away.

Sighing, she started to clean the clutter up, and then remembering on a whim, she walked over to the doctor's office and went straight for the top drawer that the bandages specifically _weren't _in. It was mostly stuff that all married men kept in their drawers. With the random exception of a few select unmentionables that in her book, she felt needed to be mentioned just to get the thought of them out of her head. A few Trojans, a couple pills of birth control, what really got her was the thread bare set of lacy panties tucked securely in a corner, covered messily with a pile of receipts. Her heart raced and then she held them up to the light, further from her face, a revolted sneer twisting her lips.

"Wow. Those are pretty nice if I do say so myself…"

She swiftly dropped the panties in the drawer and slammed it shut, whipping around and half expecting Trent to be standing there with Claire hanging off his arm like a balloon tied to a string. Thinking that she was about to get fired for sneaking around in her boss's private stash of…things, she opened her mouth to utter an apology before she noticed that it was just the unconscious man standing there looking most conscious. Once again she did a surprised double take before squeaking in alarm. The man stepped back, a large grin on his face.

"Hey, hey, calm down there lady. It's just me, your faithful patient. Now, if you wouldn't mind, could you please spare some pain control? My head's kind of killing me here."

She quickly nodded her head up and down before turning around to rummage in the top drawer. She cursed. "Where are those painkillers…?"

"Uh, I think the doctor left a note explaining that they were in the bottom drawer."

She turned back to glare at him before answering in an angry monotone. "Thanks a lot."

The man smirked widely, before putting his hand behind his head, chuckling. She noticed that his eyes were a chocolate brown, almost matching with the sun kissed cinnamon shade of his skin. Beneath his purple bandanna, she could see the midnight black tips of his hair peeking out, laying in flat wisps against his head. She had to look away, fighting a blush that slowly crept its way up her cheeks and onto her ears. Her heart beat rapidly as she felt the square package of ibuprofen located on a stack of documents in the bottom drawer.

"Y'know, it's not every fine summer day that a pretty lady is left alone to work…And rummaging through her Ex-husbands drawers no less. Why she would be even interested in his habits is beyond my comprehension…"

"It's really none of your business sir." She briskly shoved the package of pills into his chest, before stomping out of the room, fuming, and blushing like a schoolgirl at the same time. She could feel his smirk cut into her back as she slammed things down on her desk, a vase of flowers, a paperweight, a glass mug with the inscription 'I love you' from when She and Trent had first started dating. She slammed it down a second time and then decided that slamming it on a slab of wood that was supposed to be used for work had simply not been enough. She tossed it harshly into the wastebasket with an evil smirk on her face, hearing the satisfying crack of glass before returning to her desk.

"I suppose that the mug deserved it?"

She glared in his direction before sitting down on the wooden chair. Picking up a flimsy celebrity magazine, she flipped through it while staring at him above the pages. He was sitting on the couch, tipping his head back as he drank the last of a cup of water, wiping the top of his lip before smiling at her again, his eyes relaxed and calm. She couldn't help but sigh deeply, closing the magazine before setting it gently on the desk. She'd been dying to ask the newcomer a question anyway.

"So, how do you know so much about me and my husband Mr. ...?

He stretched out on the couch, wriggling his shoulders for a moment before looking back up at her, a grin still on his face but a solemn look etched into his forehead. "My name's Kai Regucci. I've been visiting this town since I was a kid. I moved here two years ago and opened a new restaurant on the beach. It's only open during spring and summer but I live in a house on the beach all year long…"

Her eyebrow lifted questioningly. "And this has what to do with me and my," she took a deep breath, folding her hands on the space in front of her, "my ex-husband?"

"No, not really. You see, gossip travels fast in a little town such as this, and, I can tell you, the divorce was a sort of a scandal to the older women. Plus, you're the nurse, you're two years younger than me, and your real name is Elaina."

She frowned. "How in the hell do you-"

He chuckled lightly before hopping up to his feet, stretching his arms. "I'll just call you Elli though. Since, that's what everyone else calls you."

She stood up, knocking the magazine and the heavy paperweight over on the floor. Her brain barely registered the heavy thumping sound that the paperweight made, or the tearing of fragile paper as her hand unknowingly clung to a ripped page from her magazine. All she could look at was him, her eyes wide. She was actually rather enthralled with him, that he actually knew her real name even though she'd never really talked to him, and how he knew things about her that only the people in the town had known. Not that he wasn't specifically in the town, but he wasn't someone she had met per say in the town as of late. It was just weird, having a total handsome patient—stranger—holding a conversation with her about her Ex-Husband. Yet, enthralling as it got, she couldn't help but feel a small pinprick of anger at him for poking around in her most sensitive places.

She'd been having a bad enough day, he didn't have to mention he Ex-husband again. Anyone that she ever talked to anymore always steered the conversation right towards Trent. If she still loved him, what if he came back to her. Her feelings on Claire, did she hate her? Did she start the divorce? Elli was just plain sick and tired of the conversation.

Why couldn't they talk about something else? Even the damned weather would suffice for heaven's sake. Just anything _but _Trent for once. That was all she wanted. A silent moment. Then that bronzed man had waltzed right into her wall, and started talking about her life as if he was her brother! All she wanted was peace of mind, and it was getting to be damn hard having to stare at her reflection in the mirror for half the morning and then have to look at what was probably one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.

He tittered nervously before edging out to the door, his hands twisting and untwisting uneasily. "Well, uh…hmmm. Well, I have to get back to the shop… Um… Look, I tell you what. If you stop by my shop tomorrow, I'll give you a free lunch and a dessert. And, no excuses, I know Wednesday is your day off. Feel free to drop in. Uh… Mmm... I'll be seeing Later Ma'am…"

Before she even could comprehend what he was doing, the door had opened and shut with a soft click, leaving her all alone in the clinic. The keys sat on her desk, inviting her to take the rest of the night off, but she declined, telling herself that there were things needed to be done. The market was closed on Tuesday so she really didn't have any excuse to be going out, and there wasn't really anything worth doing at the time anyway. Therefore, she busied herself with tidying up the computer room upstairs, running up and down the staircase washing laundry, and scrubbing all the floors except for Trent's office. Her thoughts briefly flitted to her brother Stewart, He was off abroad with his fiancé May. He had turned seventeen last year and they were taking a trip before high school graduation. What scared her the most was probably that he had been only ten when she had been twenty and now, he was seventeen and reckless as ever. When the chores were done, she cuddled up on her plush rocking chair and read a book until closing hours. Locking the front door, she thunked back up the staircase and slumped into her room staring at her reflection in the mirror. And here she was, back to square one.

_Ugly…ugly…ugly…_

"Yech Elli, no wonder Trent wanted Claire more than you. Just look at yourself, pale and fishy. Even your eyes are gray and bulgy. Just like a fish. Like a fat fish ready to be roasted on the grill. Not that anyone would want to eat you…"

She remembered what Kai Regucci had said back in Trent's office, her cheeks lighting up slightly at the memory.

"_Y'know, it's not every fine summer day that a pretty lady is left alone to work…"_

"You're being ridiculous. He was just being polite that's all. Now, Elli, you're being a big pathetic loser just moping around and waiting for someone to sweep you off your feet. Just go to bed. Tomorrow you can just take it easy."

Elli realized that she had been talking to herself quite frequently lately. But, it wasn't because of any disease or anything. It was just because, she was lonely. Everyone else had their own separate lives, and frankly, Elli wasn't a big part of them.

Slipping her shorts and her loose t-shirt on, she wriggled under the cool comforter, nuzzling the pillow with her face. Getting comfortable. Just getting comfortable to the long lasting fact that the pillow was going to be the only company, she would have for a while.

Oh well.

She yawned loudly, before close her eyes.

It was late, and, she had somewhere to be tomorrow.

The next day at exactly 9:30 A.M. Elli woke up to an insistent tapping on her window. In her dazed state, she giggled, thinking that she was still in a dream, and there was that crazy bird with the face of Trent ramming repeatedly into the windowpanes. It served the bastard right.

He deserved to have his face pounded in by his own actions.

Taking her shirt off, she replaced it with a tighter light blue tank top, slipping on a pair of jeans she had been dying to wear outside of the clinic. Picking the eye snot out of her eye, she opened the shade and instantly drew back quickly as another rock slammed up against her window, clattering harmlessly to the roof and then rolling onto the gravel. As curious as she was, she decided the safer way to check which crazy person would be pounding on her window with a rock, was to just open the front door and see from there. She didn't really want to risk the possibility of her opening the window and being pummeled in the head with a rock. The thought of the pain and then the anger afterwards both scared her and just…did not appeal at all so early in the morning. Groggily, she took the keys and turned the lock, her eyes still blurry from just having woken up.

This time there was a pounding knock on the door, and she grimaced, feeling a headache beginning to start. "Just wait a second, hold your horses you impatient thing."

She slowly pulled the door open, spotting a blur dressed in a black shirt and black pants, a bundle of white cradled in one arm. It was Trent with his hair disheveled and his eyes saggy rimmed from lack of sleep. She grunted a hello and stood in the door for what seemed to be at the least two minutes. Trent took a deep breath, and for a moment, she actually thought he might've had something intelligent to say so early in the morning.

"Good morning Elli. I was stopping by to see if you had picked up that printer paper and if you read the part about me-"

"Taking the wine. Yes. I read the whole thing." She glared at him, her eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

He sighed as if he was taking care of a young child, speaking in simple words so she could understand him. She understood him too well. And to be frank, at nine in the morning on her day off, he had really pissed her off.

"I was just asking if you had picked that printer paper up from the-"

"The market place. It was closed. It has always been closed on Tuesdays. You should know that by now…"

He ran his free hand through his hair. "Yes, there's just been a lot on my mind lately and-"

"I'm sure."

She half closed the door in his face, glaring heatedly in his direction. Her voice remained monotone, even though inside she wanted to scream and throw that broken mug from yesterday at his perfect doctor face.

He tried to mumble a response before she interrupted him again. "Look Doctor, I know you're worried about the precious printer paper, but why don't you get it yourself today? The market is open. Just so, you know, because apparently a lot has been on your mind and all that great jazz. But, y'know, if you don't mind, today's my day off and I plan to enjoy it so…"

He looked hopelessly through the space between the door and her, his lips twitching even further into a deeper frown than before. "Elli…"

She smiled an evil smirk, her eyebrows raised tauntingly. "I shall see you tomorrow, _doctor."_

After she closed the door, she slumped to the ground, unable to keep the sardonic smile on her face any longer. She couldn't bear him asking for favors, even if it was only for printer paper. And to make things straight, by that morning she'd had enough of him to last a lifetime. The clock chimed ten-o-clock, and she ambled lazily over to the bathroom to brush her teeth and maybe swipe a little lip-gloss on. Ten minutes later, she found that she couldn't find her lip-gloss and decided that she didn't really care about looking horrible anyway. It wasn't like there was anyone available to look at her. Slipping on some comfortable sandals, she took the keys and her purse from the desk and strode out the front door, her hair bouncing in the slight breeze. She locked the door and dropped the keys in her purse, heading off to the direction of the church. She had considered going to confessional but, it just seemed too depressing on such a nice sunny day. She noticed that, as she looked at the sky that the thin gray cloud from the day before had disappeared, invisible on the horizon. She walked into the square and waved a fond hello to the 'gossip girls' chattering excitedly to one another, Manna of course being the loudest.

When she arrived at the beach, she stopped and closed her eyes, breathing in the deep smell of sea air and cooking food. When she opened her eyes, Ann was in the water dressed in a striped bikini obnoxiously splashing Cliff who was also lounging in the water. Popuri and Richard sat on the furthest end, both with notebooks in their hands, as they seemed to be discussing the finer art of life. Mary sat on a towel calmly reading a book as Gray stood off to the side, a piece of grass in his mouth as he held a fishing rod between his knees.

"Hey, you actually came! I didn't expect you to actually visit… You were so grumpy yesterday that I automatically thought that you wouldn't want to come again."

Elli ignored the pounding in her heart and swiftly turned towards the staircase, her purse hanging over one shoulder. She looked at Kai from over that shoulder, sternly furrowing her eyebrows while her lips shaped into a frown. "Well, I could always go back…Since I was too angry to come in the first place."

She took a step towards the staircase.

"No! I didn't…uh; I didn't mean that at all. Y'know, me being a stupid man… I uh… d'you want some lunch or something? Maybe… Oh, um… Maybe you're not hungry…"

She turned around, smiling slightly. His skin glowed faintly in the sunlight, but she could see now that his pants were ripped and his shirt looked like it had seen more years then she and he had lived combined. He was wearing a stained apron around his waist and excitedly waving a spatula around in the air, his eyes flicking from his small diner and back to her. His bandanna was askew and his hair was everywhere. He was certainly not a perfectly tanned Italian god. But, she had to admit even to herself, that, he was still pretty good looking. Well, at least he was good looking enough to give her neck goose bumps every time he smiled his careless grin in her direction…

She followed him into a cool air-conditioned diner, the tiles on the floor a classic black and white, and the walls a fresh paint of blue. The seats were a bright sparkling red vinyl, and looked like they had never been used before. The room smelled pleasantly of Coke and Fried foods. She sat down in one of the chairs, and looked around, trying to avoid his expectant gaze.

"So…Um… What do you think? It's not too shabby eh?"

She smiled back at him, the first real smile from her in days. "No, not at all."

He breathed a sigh of relief before moving behind the counter, grinning his trademark smile with his hand behind his head. "That's good. It's always good when somebody likes it. So, do you want to eat something? I'm somewhat hungry too so, I can make something for both of us. On the other hand, if you don't want to eat lunch yet I can make us a snack to tide us over until you decide to eat… The choice is yours…"

For the first time in months, Elli was actually enjoying it, which actually surprised her. She forgot about Trent and the clinic, and just sat there in the moment, beaming stupidly before answering Kai's offer. "Um…Hmmm… Why don't we just make a snack, and I'll eat a little later. I kind of want to sit in the sun for a while…"

He grinned widely.

"Well, I'll be back with a surprise snack for two in about five minutes. You can come into the kitchen for the Grande tour if you really want to."

"You'll let me in your kitchen? Isn't that a sort of…? I don't know…it's like a chef's holy place or something…"

He rubbed his head, his eyebrows etched in what she could only deem as confusion. "Well, I never really thought of the kitchen as…a holy place. But I guess it's like to me what a church is to a priest. I don't know… That's odd… I've never heard someone ask me that before… weird…"

She slipped off the stool, dusted a fleck of imaginary dust off her leg and then straightened up. "Well, if it doesn't bring bad luck to the food you're going to be cooking, then yes, I'd love to take a tour." For some reason as she said that, an image of a moist layered chocolate cake with marzipan roses shifted into her train of thought. As she followed him into the kitchen, she half expected to see a large delicious cake sitting on the counter, just waiting for her to take a bite out of it. A wave of slight disappointment washed over her. All the counters were a spotless white, the pans hung according to size and the utensils and cooking ware set in various little nooks and crannies around the room. She'd remembered reading somewhere in one of her old floozy magazines that when women were emotional and needed a boyfriend, they craved chocolate.

In this case, Elli was willing to admit that she craved chocolate like something else. However, she was not willing to admit that she desperately needed a boyfriend.

The stirring of pots and pans brought her back to her original train of thought, and she stood in the corner watching Kai assemble fry ingredients in a frying pan. A look of calmness spread over his face as he cooked, and she couldn't help but noticed his small satisfied smile as he stirred something with a wooden spoon. It was as if the man she had met in the clinic was a totally different man then the person cooking his heart out in the kitchen. She leaned up against the counter, and without a second's pause, hopped up, sitting on the white tiles with her legs swinging in midair. Kai continued stirring, and hummed a slight song to himself, swiftly turning the burner down. It was relaxing just watching him enjoy himself, and as she stared at his clear complexion and his perfect oval eyes, she because more and more aware of her own pasty skin, and her own small gray eyes. She couldn't help but giggle as a name ran through her head.

_Fish…fish...fish…_

And before she even realized what she was doing, she hopped right off the counter and sauntered her way over to Kai, opening her mouth to speak. "Kai?"

He continued staring at the pain, stirring the contents. His smile grew a bit larger. "Yes?"

"Do I…um… do I remind of a…of a…" she coughed, shuffling her feet. She was sure that her cheeks were practically glowing a bright pink, considering the fact that her whole head had just heated up as if someone had shoved her face into a fire. In fact, the whole situation was making her tense.

"Do you remind me of a what?"

"A fish…"

"What?! Do you remind me of a fish? What kind of question is that?!"

She mumbled incoherently under her breath, backing away until the small of her back bumped up against the edge of the counter. Hey eyes remained glued to the floor. Elli really never thought of herself as a shy person, in fact, she thought of herself as too loud, too stubborn, and, way too nosy. She never thought that she could feel shy in front of a man she had only met the day before.

"Well, Elli I have to say. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Why anyone would think of you is a fish is totally beyond my understanding, and quite frankly, the only one that would look like a fish in my eyes is the Kappa. And unless you've eaten Karen's cooking recently, then I see no resemblance."

"Hmm…Um…okay then."

He started laughing, and switched the burner off, dumping the contents of the frying pan onto a large white plate, covering it with plastic wrap before setting it in a wicker basket. "Ha ha, you're a funny girl Elli. I think I'd like to hang around you more often. Anyway, our snack's done. And guess what it is, Fish."

She raised her eyebrows and tried to peek through the plastic wrap. He shook his finger and covered the basket with a lid, grinning impishly. "You're kidding. You really were making…fish?"

He grabbed a thermos and poured what looked like to her sweet smelling pink juice. He grabbed two cups and set them in the basket, alone with two forks and some light blue paper napkins. "Yep, you got it right, it's delicious fried calamari, my specialty. You do want to drink some juice too right?"

"Uh, sure. What kind of juice?"

He smirked again, and she felt her upper lip twitch. He was so annoying…but she couldn't help but think it was a good kind of annoying as well. "Well, you'll find out soon enough. Shall we go eat outside in the sun? I love eating by the ocean, it's relaxing to just sit and watch people have fun. Not that this is fun… Uh, this is the most fun I think I've had since yesterday when I…oh never mind."

She sighed heavily, cradling the thermos as she walked out of the kitchen and into the diner, waiting for him to catch up. "Let's just go eat okay."

"Fine by me."

They walked out the door and wave of humid salty air blew in her face. Some people didn't like the sea, or the gritty sand that squelched between their toes when they walked along the beach. Some people didn't like the way the waves roared against the rocks, or the foam that bubbled when the tide went out. To Elli, the sea was just part of her life.

It was a part of her life that she enjoyed. For some reason, as she sat on a striped towel under a large umbrella, eating fried calamari with a handsome man named Kai, she felt almost like she could be pretty. Well, as pretty as dull nurse wearing only jeans and a plain tank top could be. She looked at Ann being blessedly cute in her own fashionable bikini, most likely chosen by the notorious Claire herself; Popuri was wearing a cotton pink sundress with sandals, her hair pulled back into a long braid. Mary was actually wearing tan cargo shorts—obviously chosen by Grey-and a cute dark blue halter top, again, chosen by Gray. Elli didn't feel like complaining, or even sharing her personal thoughts to Kai on the matter, but, staring at everyone looking so cute…

It just made her uncomfortable.

She looked at the ring around Kai's neck, and for a moment, debated asking him about it. Before she could even tell herself to think before she said something totally offensive, she mumbled to him through a mouthful of food, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes with the hand that wasn't holding her fork. "So, where'd you get your necklace from? Someone special?"

He fingered the necklace fondly, looking dreamily at the sky before turning around to smile widely at her. "Yeah, you could say that it's from someone special…"

She swallowed a sip of her juice. "Oh? Is she pretty?"

"Yeah, she's beautiful. She has dark brown hair, and these green eyes that look at you and even when you think they don't know what you're doing, they know what you're doing. I love her to death."

"Oh…" Elli felt like an idiot for even starting to think someone like him would even be mildly interested in a person like her. Nobody liked second best. "So, are you two married or just dating right now?"

Her eyes began to focus out to the ocean, and she could feel that familiar pang in her stomach. A loud sharp bark of laughter brought her out of her dazed reverie. She looked at him as he fell to the ground, translucent tears poking out of the corners of his eyes. Had she offended him?

He was laughing so hard…

For a moment she thought that if one could laugh any harder than they would have an epileptic attack. A brief panic flew through her chest. This man was too cute to die! Of course, as his sudden attack had put her in a rather nerve racking position, she could only sit there stuttering like an idiot while he rolled around on the sand, either laughing or crying harshly.

Finally, she thrust her cup of juice at him and he nodded his thanks as he took it and gulped it down, still chuckling lightly as she set the cup down, wiping his mouth.

"Elli, Elli, Elli…"

"W-what?!" She nearly screeched, her voice coming out as a most unattractive croak.

He laughed again, lying down on his back, his arms folded under his head as a sort of pillow. "The person who gave me this ring? You want to know if we're married, correct."

"Yeah…" she frowned, not exactly looking forward to the answer.

He smiled widely, and closed his eyes. "You silly, silly girl, Elli. We're not married…" He snorted softly and sat up, folding his hands in his lap before staring at her with laughing eyes. "The girl who gave me this ring is my Mother! This was my father's ring before he passed away when I was a kid."

She was an idiot. She was such a damn, idiot. With her face hot and red—and not because of the sun either—Elli was humiliated. She stood up, and started walking away, feeling stupid and low, and just plain idiotic. A thought lingered in her head, how could she have known that he had been talking about his mother? She shook it out of her head, and felt the tears prick at her eyelashes. She was an emotional idiotic basket case.

Did she mention already that she was an idiot?

"Sheesh Elli, you're such an idiot for thinking that it was his _wife._ You had no right asking him his own private business. I mean, girl, you've only known him for a day, and what'd you expect, for him to tell you his whole dramatic life story? What a bunch of crock you were thinking Elli…"

"Yeah I know. A bunch of crock."

She turned around, by then her face flaming and her hair disheveled, sticking to her forehead in clammy strands from the sweat. He of course stood behind her frowning, his hands on his hips. He blew a strand of hair out of his eye and started talking before she could say anything. "First of all, Elli, you are _not _an idiot. You didn't even know who I was talking about. Second of all, yes, I'd tell you my whole dramatic life story because frankly, I _like _you. Third of all, I haven't known you for just one day. I've known you ever since you and the Doctor divorced two years ago. You've just never noticed." His face was flushed, and he looked away, scratching his head uncertainly as his feet shuffled in the sand.

She felt her mouth open slightly. Had he just said what she thought he said? Her inner voice answered probably not, but it was always nice imagining it. She hurriedly wiped her eyes, and sniffled softly. Popuri was now cuddling in Richards arms, the notebooks cast carelessly behind. Ann was riding on Cliff's back as he walked down the expanse of the beach. Gray was cupping Mary's cheek, slowly leaning in for a kiss.

Everyone was happy. And she had to admit, she was pretty happy as well, but it wasn't the kind of happiness she had yearned for, it was more of the contentedness then _real _'I like you' happiness. Kai stood there, staring at the sand, and all she could do was feel sorry for herself. At that moment, Elli wanted nothing more than to stop thinking about Elli, but someone else.

So she did.

Walking slowly up to him, she smiled as much as she could at the moment. "Thank you Kai. I needed that a lot. Wanna go finish the food?"

Looking up at her, he beamed. "Race you."

"Sure." This time there was a small chirp of laughter, a spray of sand, the inherent teasing of Kai, and two figures running toward a blue and white striped towel.

Four hours later, a soaking wet Elli and Kai splashed out of the water, Kai's bandanna in one of his hands hand, Elli's hand in the other. Her hair was matted to her head, dripping off in little dots on the sand. He shook his head in her face, and she pushed him away, giggling. Mary was now asleep with Gray, Ann and Cliff had gone home, and Popuri and Richard were leaving hand in hand.

It was the happiest Elli had been in two years.

As they sat on the town, drying their hair with extra towels from Kai's diner, they both chatted easily with one another, occasionally slipping their hands into the bowl of diced pineapple Kai had prepared for dessert. Elli set her towel down on the ground, and drew her knee's to her chest, wrapping her arms around them while staring at the dusky sky.

"So, why do you like pineapples so much anyway?"

He laughed, popping two pieces in his mouth before chewing them. He gulped and looked at her. "You really want to know?"

"Sure I do."

"Okay then. The reason I like pineapples, is because when I was a kid, I was scared of them."

It was her turn to look at him, her eyebrows knotted in confusion. "You…were…scared…of pineapples?"

"Yeah! I think I was like ten… My mom had bought one from the market. My best friend was spending the night and we were being really obnoxious. My mother threatened that if we didn't be quiet then she would throw the pineapple at our heads."

"That's odd…"

"Anyway, I didn't really believe so I let out this extremely loud scream. The next thing you know, a pineapple comes flying through the air and hits me in the face. It sort of hurt, and Mom freaked out when she realized that she had actually thrown it at me."

"Huh…"

"So, then, after she put ice on my black eye, we ate it. It was delicious, but at the same time I kept thinking to myself that I hated it because she had thrown it at me. So, the fact was, I loved them, but I hated them."

"Wow Kai, what a beautiful contradiction…"

"Oh be quiet. You're the common smartass aren't you?"

She smiled devilishly as she picked up three pieces of the pineapple, licking her fingers before replying. "No. I'm totally not a smartass. So, what will you do when I do…this?!"

She threw the pineapple at his face before scampering away from him, laughing mischievously. Her eyes squinted in the sun as he picked himself and started running after her, screaming with a large smile plastered on his face."Elli!"

She stopped, thinking that she was in trouble before he tackled her to the ground, rubbing a piece of pineapple over her face before stuffing it into her mouth."Ah! Kai cut…it…out…Kai!!"

She swallowed it whole, trying to laugh so she wouldn't choke herself. After they both stood up, she couldn't help but laugh at the way he looked. His hair was sticking up everywhere, and located right by his nose was a small piece of pineapple. She opted not to tell him about it just yet. As they made their way back to the towel, laughing and giggling, she looked at the ring again. Curiosity peaked. "So, the ring. What kind of ring is it anyway?"

He plopped down on the towel, and she sat near him, watching in interest as he slipped it off his neck. "It's called Mother of Pearl. It was my father's favorite because he never liked the other gemstones. He said that they were too flashy, too clean cut. He told my mother that they were too often used and he liked the beauty in ordinary things." Kai smiled, closing his eyes in memory. "I can agree with him there."

Elli just nodded, closing her eyes and feeling the salty breeze whisper over her skin. Something warm slipped over her neck and she opened her eyes, startled to see the chain with the ring around her neck. Kai grinned softly as she touched it.

"My father would have liked you. You're just as free spirited and stubborn as he was… It's my thanks to you for coming to spend the day with me."

She felt the tears once again start to blur her vision, and she shook her head violently side to side. Her nose was starting to run. Why did she have to be so damn emotional over every little thing? The inside voice told her that t was a girl thing. For the first time, she sort of agreed with herself,

"I-I can't just take something important like this. I've only known you for almost a day and a half… It's just…"

His gaze slightly hardened, but the look in his eyes remained soft as he scooted closer to her. She was now crying, the large tears rolling down her cheeks, while she constantly sniffled in attempts to keep the snot inside of her nose.

"It's just what? It's just that you think only beautiful girls can receive beautiful things, is that it? Do you think that to be drop dead gorgeous you need jewels and money, and good looks? Because, Elli, you yourself prove that your little theory is hell of a not true."

"N-no…"

He didn't stop talking, he just looked at her, and she couldn't take it. She looked at the sand, avoiding his gaze. "I think that you think it is, in fact, I know that you think those exact ideals. That's why you think I don't think you're good enough. Because you're not blonde, because your bastard of a husband left you for the next pretty girl he thought he saw. Well, lemme tell you something…"

He sighed heavily, turning away from her. Sneaking a peek at him, she saw that his cheeks were flushed, and his hands were trembling in his lap. "T--tell me what? W-what were you going to tell me?"

He looked at her, that gigantic mischievous smile adorning his face. "Because, Elli…I don't like blondes."

"I'm sorry. I like it…honest… And, if you want to give it to me so bad, I'll keep it."

"Good."

She turned it around in her finger, feeling the smooth shimmery surface. "It is a beautiful ring isn't it… Better looking than the jewels"

"It is… You remind me of it. Mother of Pearl that is. Because it's naturally pretty and not cut and made up like all the other 'genuine' jewels."

She fought the oncoming blush. "Thank you…"

"You're very welcome…"

She never really expected him to come closer, or for her to lean her head against his shoulder, but then again, she'd never really expected him to run into the wall, which was how it really all started. She giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"When you ran into the wall yesterday. It was funny."

He puffed his lips in indignation, squinting his eyes hard as his hand made squiggled lines in the dirt. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

Elli looked at the sky, and up there was a wispy black cloud floating along right towards their town. And she couldn't help but smile at it. She looked back at Kai who was sitting there raking his fingers through the sand and staring hopelessly into space… She grinned.

"Hey, Kai?"

"Yeah?"

She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "You have um…uh; you have some pineapple on your nose…"

He wrinkled his nose and frowned at her, his eyes twinkling. "Well, well…I wonder how it got there huh?"

"Yeah, well, just let me get it off really quick okay…"

"Okay…"

She leaned in and brushed the pineapple onto her finger, wiping it on the towel. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Is there any more…"

"No…I don't think so."

"Well, now that it's confession time, you have a piece right in the middle of your forehead. I'll get it…"

He leaned in closer, and she knew she was blushing bright red. "D-did you g-get it y-yet?"

"I…don't…think…so…"

He murmured under his breath, his lips set into a concentrated line. Before she knew what was happening, he had closed his eyes, leaned in all the way and brushed his lips gently against hers. When he pulled back with a small smile on his face, she touched her lower lip with the tip of her finger, her mouth forming a small 'O'. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, whispering softly into her hair.

"You're beautiful."

And for some reason as they both sat there on the sand, she knew that it was true.

_A/N_

_Holy Shit. This only took a day and a half to write. It was like, BOOM! Inspiration overload!!_

_I had to get some sap in here. The next one will probably be a horror or something, but for now, I'm wholeheartedly embracing the romance. This is probably the longest one-shot that I have ever written. Ha, and it usually takes me forever to get something like this out. This time, it was no problem because the words just kept coming and coming and coming. _

_Besides that, Elli and Kai are an adorable couple and I couldn't help myself. I'm not bashing the Doctor, in fact I like him quite a lot, but, sadly it had to be part of the plot. _

_Well, you can review if you like, but I don't mind either way. _

_Happy Writing!!_

_TMoh_


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